Little League: South Marple falls to Taney in district final

South Marple catcher Cole Sprague, left, is waiting for Scott Bandura as Bandura comes home in the Little League District 19 major division final Monday in Media. Shortstop Pat Marley threw Bandura out at home on the fourth-inning play. (Times staff / ROBERT J. GURECKI)

UPPER PROVIDENCE — If throwing like a girl means you have an arm like Taney Little League’s Mo’ne Davis, take it as a compliment, not an insult.

The young lady can flat out pitch.

The guys from South Marple Little League can attest to that.

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Davis and Joe Richardson combined on a two-hitter Monday night to lead Little League newcomer Taney to its first District 19 major division title with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over South Marple at Media Little League.

It is believed to be the first time a team from outside of Delaware County won the major division championship and earned a trip to the Section 8 Tournament, which begins Saturday in Pottstown.

“I can’t remember one,” said District 19 Little League commissioner Duke Nasino, who has been with the organization since 1978.

There have been young ladies in the District 19 Tournament before, too, but few possess the skills Davis has. She throws hard, has a nasty breaking pitch and a fluid delivery.

Davis gave up two hits, fanned nine and walked two before she gave way to Richardson with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning when she reached the Little League limit of 85 pitches in a game. The only run she allowed was unearned.

“She throws hard,” said first baseman Pat McCann, who drove in South Marple’s only run with a double in the fourth inning. “I hadn’t seen her before. She really mixed up her pitches well.”

It’s a lesson every team learns the first time they face Davis, who will be an eighth-grader at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in the fall. Many teams see her long ponytail and snicker, the way adolescent boys will do, until she introduces them to her high-velocity fastball.

Then they realize she’s all business and they’re in for a long night, as several teams in District 19 can attest.

“It’s not really a big deal,” Davis said. “Teams that have seen me before know what I can do.”

Winning the District 19 title was a big deal for Taney, which is only in its second year of affiliation with Little League Baseball. The Taney Youth Baseball Association, as it is officially known, is based out of the Markward Playground in the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia.

However, the league uses several facilities throughout Center City as well as South and West Philadelphia. The organization has been around for 20 years, according to Taney skipper Alex Rice, but only joined Little League in 2013, on a whim.

“I go up to Williamsport with my son (Jack) and his best friend, Jared Sprague-Lott,” Rice said. “Two years ago they said it would be nice to see if they could get to the (Little League) World Series and I told them I would see what I could do to give them a shot.”

First Rice had to convince the board to take out a Little League charter and they had to find a district in which to play.

“It took some time and it was a lot of work, but it was worth it,” the elder Rice said.

The players agree.

“This is great,” Richardson said. “We played South Marple last year and they beat us pretty good. (6-1 in the 10-11 division), but it was a good experience,” Richardson said. “It helped us come in with a different approach this year. Last year, we tried not to lose. This year, we came in here to win.”

Taney did that behind Davis and Richardson. Davis retired seven straight batters after plunking South Marple’s Pat Marley in the first inning. She recorded back-to-back strikeouts in the fourth inning after McCann ripped his double to tie the game, 1-1.

“I just went out there and did my best,” Davis said.

The same can be said for South Marple pitchers Michael Wennemer and Joe Sperone, and the SMLL defense. They combined to hold Taney to five hits and two runs, its lowest output of the tournament. Wennemer, who closed out Sunday night’s win over Aston-Middletown, allowed one run in four solid innings. The only run Sperone surrendered in two innings of work was unearned.

Wennemer and Sperone had a lot of help. Sperone started the game at third base and threw out a runner at the plate in the bottom of the first inning to keep the game scoreless. Marley forced out two runners at third base in the third inning to keep Taney off the board.

Unfortunately SMLL could not keep Taney off the board forever.

Sprage-Lott reached on an error to start the fifth inning. Jack Rice followed with a walk and Tai Shanahan hit an infield single to load the bases.

Richardson grounded to shortstop. Marley got a force on Rice at third, but that allowed Sprague-Lott to score the go-ahead run.

Davis and Richardson took care of the rest. Davis faced four batters in the bottom of the fifth inning and two in the sixth before she reached the pitch limit. Richardson only needed 11 pitches to lock down the save.

“As good as Mo’ne is, this isn’t even her best sport,” Alex Rice said. “She’s a basketball player. She’ll break your ankles with her crossover.”